About

My blog is about Africa. It is also about the Middle East and life in general, reflecting over 30 years of work and study in Africa and the Middle East – as researcher, project-program director, evaluator, consultant, lecturer, author, and trainer.

I have advanced degrees in Egyptology, Arabic language , literature and history, social anthropology, and extensive training and work in agriculture, agroforestry and livestock systems in non-industralized societies. I am particularly interested in colonial and pre-colonial dynamics, my field of doctoral research was on agricultural trans-formations in Egypt, from the 19th century to 1985.

Arabic and Semitic Languages

Subsequent field activities have included work in about fifteen countries in the Middle East and Africa, with long-term residences and work in Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and Burundi.

There are many photos. I tend to think and explain visually and so some of the photos are repeated in another blog in order to illustrate a point. Most of the pictures are mine. However, where a ‘Source’ is not given, I have lost the origin of the photo and urge you to send it, if you know. Thank you.

Thanks for your interesting blog – I am looking to join Mohamed Abdi Ware – (I saw some pictures of him in your blog) since more than 10 years. If you have any way to reach him please let him know that Pacha (Gilles Sandre) is looking for him and can be reach at the given email address.

Dear Diana, a question about the oil painting traditional fishing along Lake Tanganyika, 1950ies. I’m studying another representation of this lake, made by the Swiss painter Ricco Wassmer for the Expo 58 in Brussels. May you give me some more informations about this interesting picture, e.g. name of the painter, measures and the where about? Thanks, Marc-Joachim Wasmer in Bern

Dear Diana
I am glad that I came across your blog after decades since we met last time. I am Mohamed Majzoub, ex-CARE Sudan staff. I have just left my job with Practical Action in an early retirement attempt. I would would like to rejuvinate the relation. My contact is majzoubm@gmail.com

You know since the new WordPress stats page appeared, I’ve been wondering who was in Burundi. I guess it must be you. Very interesting blog. Love the list of Egyptian sins/ faux pas. Wow, if they did all that, they must have been the best behaved most polite society ever! I’ll be back!
Nice to meet you.
Deirdre

I came across your page recently and I’m trying to find an email address to contact you on to ask if you would please consider adding a link to my website. I’d really appreciate if you could email me back.

I just discovered your blog and would love to ask you some questions about Burundi. I am interested in possibly doing some research there and am currently learning Kirundi. I messaged you on Facebook but many times those messages are difficult to notice with the settings. My regular email is brendan.padraig@gmail.com

That is helpful,. I can assume, I guess, that the price range is for a 28 kilo tusk, and get a per pound cost, at the port. By the time it gets to Boston it would be several times that.

I wonder, though, following the Panic of 1873 there would have been a marked drop off in the demand for ivory (few pianos being constructed). the price of ivory on hand, in inventory, would have dropped dramatically, but it does not seem that this decline was reflected in prices at the source until a few years later, and then it was significant, but not dramatic.

Robert –
I’m not sure that the Panic of 1873 would have impacted on the trade, because if it was no longer possible to sell the ivory to Europe and-or the States, the market in the Middle East, India, and China could be served. No integrated, global markets at the time. This is my current analysis but would be happy to learn of alternatives.

How are you? Am not sure whether you are the person I have been looking for all this time….worked under you in Winrock, Nairobi ..are you the one? Hope so coz I really miss you and would like to keep in touch with you.

My my, this is one of the answered prayers!!! I have longed to know how you are, where you are…how things have been with you etc! You were more than my employer – more like a dear friend and big sister!!! I was just going thru my snaps and I saw a snap we were taken in your house near Yaya and my search for started all over again and this time I am grateful to God it was succesful. Had even asked Barasa..remember him? He also didnt know of your whereabouts nor did my sister Catherine Gitau…..now am happy to know you are still in this planet….lol! Why Buja…like de Treville!! Wao..am speachless out of excitement! I work in a hospital in Nairobi..still doing documentation and more admin work. Hoping to take a break soon to rest..not done so in six years, while I assess this far part of my life…Do you ever come to Kenya? How is Burundi? Can see you are up to much stuff and truly hope you are enjoying yourself. OK let me stop here..the excitement is too much…could go on and on! How I wish I could see you and just catch up, like good old days in your house..remember? Tanks for responding and for accepting my FB request…..please inbox me your number, will call you one of this fine days..will send you mine too. God bless you ever so greatly.

It was a pleasure to find your blog. I am a professor of history at the University of Hartford – specializing in the history of exploration. My current project is on the 19th expeditions of Henry Morton Stanley and his interactions with King Mutesa and the people of Buganda. I also teach a bit about Africa (mostly West Africa) in my Atlantic History course. I love the photos of your blog and the focus on food; it gives me a better sense of the places I’ve never been (While I lived in Egypt for two years teaching English, I’ve never further south than Aswan). I look forward to reading more of your posts! Michael
+1

Just found your blog, I’m working in Buj on food security issues and would love to meet up with you. We come to the pool often, what’s a good way to meet up?

Very interested to learn more about the initiative you’ve got going for contract farming and cooking up plans to do some ethnographic assessment work on food issues, hoping to get into some details of localized food systems–from what I’ve read here you seem to be engaged in those issues.

It was a pleasure to find your blog. I am a professor of history at the University of Hartford – specializing in the history of exploration. My current project is on the 19th expeditions of Henry Morton Stanley and his interactions with King Mutesa and the people of Buganda. I also teach a bit about Africa (mostly West Africa) in my Atlantic History course. I love the photos of your blog and the focus on food; it gives me a better sense of the places I’ve never been (While I lived in Egypt for two years teaching English, I’ve never further south than Aswan). I look forward to reading more of your posts! Michael

Ahlan wa-Sahlan! Thank you for your kind invitation. When I go to Siwa again I will surely contact you, though that may be in quite a while since I am now very busy in central Africa (Burundi) and surrounding areas. What kind of cattle do you have in Siwa? Or are they gamusa?

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With a group of BaTwa (pygmy) women potters, with whom I've worked to enhance production and sales of their wonderful pots - fantastic for cooking and serving. See these 2 blogs:
Batwa Pots in Burundi: Traditional Clay Pot Cuisine, Pt. 1 of 2
https://dianabuja.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/batwa-pots-in-burundi-traditional-clay-pot-cuisine-pt-1-of-2/
Batwa Pots in Burundi: Traditional Clay Pot Cuisine, Pt. 2 of 2
https://dianabuja.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/batwa-pots-in-burundi-traditional-clay-pot-cuisine-pt-2-of-2/
Blog entries throughout this site are about Africa, as well as about the Middle East and life in general - reflecting over 35 years of work and research in Africa and the Middle East – Come and join me!